Brian Boyle
Head of Information Systems
Donegal County Council
Introduction
This document is the second published Information Systems Strategic Plan for Donegal County Council and aims to build on the work achieved during the period of the initial plan 2002-2005. Donegal County Council has long appreciated the opportunities and benefits to be gained from the use of ICT in terms of improved organisational development, higher levels of customer service delivery and stimulating the economic and social development of the County through the deployment of broadband technologies. Considerable success has been achieved in the period 2002- 2005 in achieving the objectives set out. Sustained effort is envisaged in the period 2006 –2009
The overall long term vision for the Information Systems Department is to underpin and assist the introduction of significant change within the Council through the implementation of best practice as well as innovative information & communications technology solutions.
The over-riding objective of the Information Systems programme will be to play a central role in the successful implementation of the Council’s overall Corporate Plan 2004 –2009 which has been agreed by Council. Regard must also be had to relevant national initiatives such as the Local Government Computer Services Boards Partnership for the Future 2003 –2007 , the Information Society Commission’s E-Government Strategy 2003 and the Department of Communications Marine & Natural Resources National Broadband Programme 2003.
The Council’s Information Systems Department comprises 20 Information Technology professionals who posses a wide variety of skills including project management, business analysis, software development, networking / communications, systems administration and technical support. Virtually all project work with the Department is carried out by these Staff. The use of outside consultants is not encouraged and only considered where absolutely necessary.
On-going partnership with the Local Government Computer Services Board is a key success factor in the delivery of this plan as the implementation of national systems by LGCSB progresses in the period 2006 – 2009.
The Information Systems Plan 2002 –2005
The Council’s initial Information System Plan 2002-2005 set out the following objectives :
- Establish County Donegal as a recognised leader in the exploitation of ICT as a means of driving economic and social development in the County.
- Provide Council management and staff with a comprehensive set of tools to support strategic and operational decision-making.
- Provide the full range of Council Services through a network of 6 District Offices, using advanced communication and information technologies.
- Enable citizens to have the choice of accessing Council and other public services through 3 principal channels, i.e., walk-in offices, telephone/contact centre, and self-service over the Internet.
- Be the focal point for the provision of all public services in the County, through the roll-out of the Integrated Services Centres and the e-Broker, for which Donegal has been selected as the national pilot site.
- Support the democratic process by providing Elected Members with enhanced access to information on all aspects of Council activity as well as provide enhanced opportunities for local Communities and individuals to participate in the decision making process, through such avenues as electronic consultation.
Very substantial progress has been achieved in meeting these objectives during the period in question :
The Council’s Regional Network Office network underpinned by advanced networking and communications technology was established.
A wide range of systems to support strategic and operational decision making were implemented. Some examples include :
- Document Management Systems
- Contact Management Systems
- Systems for Managing Council business
- Financial Management Systems
- E-Consultation Systems
- Websites
- Intranets
The implementation of a range of on-line Council services including Libraries on line,
Electronic Payments, and E-Planning.
E-Planning in particular has captured the public interest in Donegal and is widely used by members of the public as well as professionals involved in the planning area. Essentially the systems allows the public to access all documentation connected by planning applications over the web using advanced database, document management, and geographic information systems technology. The E-Planning System won a major national award in January 2006 when it was judged the best government to citizen application at the Inside Government Innovation Through Technology Awards at the Berkley Court Hotel in Dublin.
L-R: Dermot O’Byrne, Marketing Manager at FAS (Category Award Sponsors), An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, TD and Brian Boyle, Head of Information Systems at Donegal County Council receiving the award for Best Project in the Government to Citizen category at the public sector Innovation Through Technology awards
Working closely with the Department of Communications and Natural Resources considerable progress has been in addressing broadband deficits in the County.
The Letterkenny Metropolitan Area Network was completed in 2004 and is now operational. Advance planning is in progress for similar networks in the towns of Bundoran, Ballyshannon, Donegal Town, Ballybofey / Stranorlar, Carndonagh and Buncrana as well as cross border resilience networks between Donegal and Derry.
The Council have also promoted and facilitated local communities to participate in the DCMNR Group Broadband scheme which seeks to deliver broadband services to rural areas. A total of seven such projects have now been approved for various locations throughout the County. Other strategic attempts to eliminate broadband deficits in the county are also underway.
One area where progress has been relatively disappointing from an ICT perspective is in relation to the integrated services project. This is principally due to the delay in the provision of the public services broker nationally. Having said that there has been significant co-operation with the various agencies located in the various public services centres in Donegal.. The Information Systems Department have provided the Citizens Information Units in the Public Services Centers with access to the Comhairle network for information uploads via the Council’s Government Internet VPN connection. In conjunction with this service secure inter-agency connections have been established between the County Council networks and Department of Social & Family Affairs systems. The Council provides Internet facilities to FAS, DSCFA, Citizens Information Units, and the National Road Design Office in various public service centers throughout the county. Public Information kiosks have been provided and are also being maintained.
Support for PABX Telephone Systems and handsets is also being provided to DSCFA, HSE, NRDO, MABS, CIU Teagasc and FAS. The inter-agency agenda has required substantial collaborative work to facilitate the different requirements of each agency as well as achieve integration with the Council’s infrastructure.
The Information Systems Plan 2006 –2009
The essential objectives as set out in the original plan are still extremely relevant for the period 2006 - 2009 as are the strategies required to deliver these objectives. The four key strategies are :
- To continue the development, procurement, implementation and maintenance of the required networking and communications infrastructure required to service the Council’s ambitious plans for delivery of services.
- To continue the development and implementation of a series of new and enhanced information systems to support the Council’s business plans
- To harness the full potential of Web based Management and Geographic Information Systems as a key tool for Managers, Staff Members, Council Members and Customers and to enable Donegal to play a leading role in the development of integrated electronic public services.
- To Maximise the potential of Information and Communications Technologies for the wider economic and social development of the County particularly in the area of Broadband development,
The major contextual change for this period has been the recent adoption of the Council’s Corporate Plan for the period 2005-2009 which sets out the Council’s key strategic activities for the period in question. The over-riding objective of the Information Systems Strategic Plan 2006-2009 will be to assist the delivery of the Council’s strategic objectives wherever possible, as well as the management and reporting of the work involved. The Information Systems Strategic Plan will also underpin the Customer Service Action Plan when same is adopted in 2006.
The Information Systems work to be carried out over the period 2006 – 2009 can be broadly categorised under the following headings :